By KNEWS

Copyright kaieteurnewsonline

APNU wiped out in Regions 1 & 9

Sep 19, 2025
News

– Scrapes just one seat each across Regions 2, 7 & 8

Kaieteur News – With the official release of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) election results by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) following the September 1, 2025, regional elections, the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), which has historically been a dominant force in several hinterland regions, has suffered significant losses.

The party managed to secure only one seat each in Regions 2, 7, and 8, while failing to obtain any seats in Regions 1 and 9, two prominent hinterland areas where it previously held considerable support. The results, published in the Official Gazette on Tuesday, mark a sharp decline from the 2020 regional elections when APNU had garnered multiple seats in these areas.

In Region 1, APNU collected a mere 344 votes, which translated to zero seats, a drastic fall from the 3,843 votes and five seats secured in the 2020 elections. Similarly, in Region 9, the party attracted only 430 votes, also yielding no seats, compared to 4,824 votes and six seats just five years prior.

In Regions 2, 7, and 8, the party scraped together only single-digit seats one seat in each region. In Region 2, APNU received 1,791 votes; in Region 7, 980 votes; and in Region 8, only 253 votes.

These figures represent a significant decline compared to the 2020 elections, when the party secured 7,290 votes and five seats in Region 2, 4,839 votes and eight seats in Region 7, and 2,091 votes with seven seats in Region 8. These figures also reflect a significant downturn from the 2020 regional election results where APNU held five seats in Region 2 (with 7,290 votes), eight seats in Region 7 (4,839 votes), and seven seats in Region 8 (2,091 votes).

It is to be noted that despite September 1 being declared a national holiday to encourage voter participation, turnout at many polling stations appeared low, with only a trickle of voters casting ballots across the country. With 757,690 electors registered to cast their ballots, the number of votes recorded for the parties differed.

Meanwhile, other regions, APNU still managed to maintain some presence. The party secured four seats in Region 3 with 8,907 votes; nine seats in Region 4 with 46,770 votes; four seats in Region 5 with 6,440 votes; three seats in Region 6 with 6,251 votes; and five seats in Region 10 with 5,370 votes.

Speaking with Kaieteur News on Thursday, Juretha Fernandes, soon to be a member of parliament representing the Hinterland for APNU, expressed her thoughts on the party’s rejection by Indigenous communities. While she could not fully explain the reasons behind this shift, Fernandes assured that in regions where APNU does not have designated councillors, those areas would not be neglected and would continue to receive representation from the party. “At no point in time where we do not have seats will those persons be left unrepresented. I believe as I will be going back into parliament, it is my duty to represent everyone, particularly Indigenous people that have been deprived of resources for a number of years. It is our responsibility to get on the ground in these regions regardless of having a seat or not, we have to go there and do the work,” she said.

When asked about the disappointing vote count, Fernandes responded that the reasons behind the electorate’s decisions were ultimately for the voters themselves to explain. “We could have a lot of assumptions as to why it went in a various direction, but the electorate went into a certain way and it is our job to get on the ground to speak with them and hear from them, themselves to hear what is the reason and what is that they need from us to do for them in order for us to regain the confidence and their support,” she explained.

Additionally, Ronald Cox, APNU’s representative for Region 1, admitted in a previous interview with Kaieteur News that the party failed to effectively campaign in many communities. He noted that many traditional APNU supporters had shifted allegiance to WIN, which benefited from APNU’s weakened grassroots structures. Cox stressed the need to revitalise the party’s organisational presence at the community level by reinstating active party groups in every major locality. “We have to start back with our party groups in the various communities. Back in the days, we had every community, at least every major community, we had one active party group. And that is something that worked in the past, and I believe that once that is activated, that can work again,” Cox stated.

Cox expressed mixed satisfaction with APNU’s campaigning in Region 1. While campaigning in Mabaruma was active and visible, areas such as Moruca and Port Kaituma were neglected due to limited resources and inactive local groups. “It was a great challenge getting our campaign effectively going across Region 1,” he said.

Looking forward, Cox emphasised the urgent need for APNU to regroup and restructure. He suggested that forming a Coalition, perhaps similar to the previous alliance with the Alliance For Change (AFC), might be the only viable path to mounting a credible challenge against the dominant PPP/C party. However, he noted that such strategic decisions ultimately rest with the party’s central leadership.

Amidst this challenging political landscape, APNU has announced its designated Regional Democratic Councillors for the regions the party attained seats in. The list includes:

Region 2: Prince Holder (Henrietta, Anna Regina, Essequibo Coast)
Region 3: Joel Dain Dodson (Tuschen, EBE), Shana Natasie Fortune (Bagotville, WBD), Gangadai Lloyd (Tuschen, EBE), Lashana Avis Phang (Tuschen, EBE)
Region 4: Rudolph Terrence Adams (Mocha, EBD), Ravoldo Romario Birbal (Mahaica, ECD), Marcia Amanda Chattoor-Gordon (North Enmore, ECD), Jasmain Cassey Hackett (Charlestown, G/Town), Shaneika Odessa Haynes (LBI, ECD), Dillon Andrew Mohamed (Cummings Lodge, G/Town), Robin Nadata Althea Simon (Haslington, ECD), Shirley Hermina Witter (Paradise, ECD), Sheik Mohamed Muazziz Yaseen (Ogle, ECD)
Region 5: Emerson Silvanas Benjamin (Catherina’s Lust, WCB), Junior Edmund Henry (Catherine, Mahaicony), Angela Asante McDonald (Golden Fleece, WCB), Selma Amanda Sealey (Ormsary, Mahaicony)
Region 6: Mehalai Natasha McAlmont (Timmer Dam, New Amsterdam), Colin Emmanuel Moore (Kildonan, Corentyne), Candy Ramona Stewart (Springlands, Corriverton)
Region 7: Sherry Ann Simmons (Potaro Road, Bartica)
Region 8: Samantha Laverine Edwards-John (Cambelltown, Mahdia)
Region 10: Dominique Hubert Blair (Lower Kara Kara, MacKenzie), Suzette Ann Gordon (Amelia’s Ward, Linden), Donna Patricia Perry (Wismar, Linden), Faye Rodrigues (Kwakwani, Berbice River), Orlon Renswick Rogers (Block 22, Linden)

APNU, Aubrey Norton, election results, Juretha Fernandes, Regional Democratic Council